Single top polarisation as a window to new physics

We discuss the effect of heavy new physics, parameterised in terms of four-fermion operators, in the polarisation of single top (anti-)quarks in the $t$-channel process at the LHC. It is found that for operators involving a right-handed top quark field the relative effect on the longitudinal polarisation is twice larger than the relative effect on the total cross section. This enhanced dependence on possible four-fermion contributions makes the polarisation measurements specially interesting, in particular at high momenta.Comment: LaTeX 10 pages. v2: comments and references added, journal versio

Working with and for social enterprises: the role of the volunteer ethnographer

Purpose – This paper considers the specific opportunities and challenges of engaging in ethnographic research with organisations in which the researcher participates as a volunteer ethnographer. Design/methodology/approach – The findings in this paper are based on four years of ethnographic research within a social enterprise. Findings – This paper finds that there are significant benefits of the role of the volunteer ethnographer and suggests ways to address some of the challenges. Research limitations/implications – As the field of social enterprise and ethnography grows and researchers engage with methodological discussions about participant observation, the authors suggest that attention should also be paid to the specifics of the role of the volunteer ethnographer. Originality/value – There is growing interest in the use of ethnography in social enterprises. This paper offers unique insight into how this methodology has been applied in the context of self-reliant groups and the importance of the engaging with discussion about the specific role of the volunteer ethnographer

A hybrid embedded cohesive element method for predicting matrix cracking in composites

The complex architecture of many fibre-reinforced composites makes the generation of finite element meshes a labour-intensive process. The embedded element method, which allows the matrix and fibre reinforcement to be meshed separately, offers a computationally efficient approach to reduce the time and cost of meshing. In this paper we present a new approach of introducing cohesive elements into the matrix domain to enable the prediction of matrix cracking using the embedded element method. To validate this approach, experiments were carried out using a modified Double Cantilever Beam with ply drops, with the results being compared with model predictions. Crack deflection was observed at the ply drop region, due to the differences in stiffness, strength and toughness at the bi-material interface. The new modelling technique yields accurate predictions of the failure process in composites, including fracture loads and crack deflection path

An intuitionistic approach to scoring DNA sequences against transcription factor binding site motifs

Background: Transcription factors (TFs) control transcription by binding to specific regions of DNA called transcription factor binding sites (TFBSs). The identification of TFBSs is a crucial problem in computational biology and includes the subtask of predicting the location of known TFBS motifs in a given DNA sequence. It has previously been shown that, when scoring matches to known TFBS motifs, interdependencies between positions within a motif should be taken into account. However, this remains a challenging task owing to the fact that sequences similar to those of known TFBSs can occur by chance with a relatively high frequency. Here we present a new method for matching sequences to TFBS motifs based on intuitionistic fuzzy sets (IFS) theory, an approach that has been shown to be particularly appropriate for tackling problems that embody a high degree of uncertainty. Results: We propose SCintuit, a new scoring method for measuring sequence-motif affinity based on IFS theory. Unlike existing methods that consider dependencies between positions, SCintuit is designed to prevent overestimation of less conserved positions of TFBSs. For a given pair of bases, SCintuit is computed not only as a function of their combined probability of occurrence, but also taking into account the individual importance of each single base at its corresponding position. We used SCintuit to identify known TFBSs in DNA sequences. Our method provides excellent results when dealing with both synthetic and real data, outperforming the sensitivity and the specificity of two existing methods in all the experiments we performed. Conclusions: The results show that SCintuit improves the prediction quality for TFs of the existing approaches without compromising sensitivity. In addition, we show how SCintuit can be successfully applied to real research problems. In this study the reliability of the IFS theory for motif discovery tasks is proven

Comprehensive Indicator Bank for Resilience of Water Supply Systems

Appropriate indicators are required to measure the resilience of water supply systems (WSSs). However, it is challenging to identify appropriate indicators since there is no comprehensive database of indicators to measure its resiliency. This study will establish a comprehensive bank of indicators to assist water corporations and decision-makers in selecting appropriate indicators for their particular system. The suggested indicator bank is comprised of three layers such as dimension, attributes, and the number of indicators resulting from 12 different indicator codes that the study has analysed. In addition, this paper presents instructions on how the indicator bank can be used and integrated with water enterprises, enabling decision-makers to pick the relevant indicators. The proposed indicator bank is an exploratory approach that should be validated in a real work setting since resilience is a challenging concept, and WSSs are complex due to their dependencies to other lifelines such as power networks with too many variables that may affect the actual outcomes

AN ANALYSIS OF STUDENTS’ MOTIVATION AND ATTITUDES TOWARD LEARNING JAPANESE LANGUAGE AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN SRI LANKA

The purpose of this study is to investigate the motivation and attitudes of students in secondary schools (G.C.E. Advanced Level classes) towards learning Japanese as a foreign language (JFL) in Sri Lanka. Further, it examines whether JFL students are instrumentally or integratively motivated to study Japanese. This study adapted a quantitative research paradigm and used a questionnaire for collection of data. The study focuses on investigating the two important social psychological variables introduced in Gardner’s socio educational model, which are the instrumental motivation and integrative motivation. The international version (2004) of Gardner's Attitude/Motivation Test Battery (AMTB) was used to examine the students’ attitudes and motivation levels. A systematic sampling was used under the complex probability sampling method. The results discovered that the integrative motivation of the students was slightly greater than the instrumental motivation. Further, it was found that the students had positive attitudes towards learning situation which are language course and the language teacher. The findings shows that JFL learners in G.C.E. Advanced level classes were less likely to hold utilitarian and academic reasons for learning Japanese. However, the results proved that their attitudes towards the Japanese language community and its members were highly positive. Finally, the study introduces some pedagogical implications that would help to enhance the students’ motivation and attitudes.  Article visualizations

A BIBLIOMETRIC ANALYSIS AND MAPPING STUDY OF RISK MANAGEMENT IN ISLAMIC FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS

This paper performs a bibliometric analysis on risk management in Islamic financial institutions (IFIs), identifying significant research themes, influential authors, as well as emerging trends from 2003 to 2024. A systematic search strategy identifies 524 relevant publications from the Scopus and Web of Science databases. Using techniques from network analysis, science mapping, and performance analysis with the help of  VOSviewer software, we find that 2020 and 2021, with 86 and 97 papers, are the most productive years in both databases. University of New Orleans and International Islamic University Malaysia are significant institutions. The most prominent journal is the International Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Finance & Management, which garners the highest number of citations. The Journal of Islamic Accounting and Business Research has the highest number of publications. Malaysia is a significant contributor to this field. Moreover, research on risk management in other sectors has been scant, concentrating solely on Islamic banking. Relying on particular databases and English-language publications could have eliminated relevant non-English research

PREFERENCES FOR MOTIVATIONAL STRATEGIES: A COMPARISON OF STUDENT AND TEACHER PERSPECTIVE IN JAPANESE AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE (JFL) CLASSROOM IN SRI LANKA

This study was aimed to investigate the teachers’ and students’ preference of motivational strategies employed in motivating students to learn Japanese language in General Certificate of Education (G.C.E) Advanced Level classes in Sri Lanka. The sample consisted of 27 Japanese as a Foreign Language (JFL) teachers and 275 students. An adapted questionnaire with 28 items was used to measure the perception of students and teachers towards using motivational strategies in JFL classroom. Fourteen items in the questionnaire targeted at measuring traditional strategies while the rest of the items measured innovative strategies. Descriptive statistics was used to find out the mean values of both the teachers’ and students’ preference of strategies and to prepare two lists of motivational strategies according to the priority order of rankings rated by teachers and students. The independent samples T-test was applied to determine the significant level of difference between the two groups. The results indicated that both students and teachers agree on the use of motivational strategies to motivate students. Nevertheless, it is statistically evident that students prefer innovative strategies than traditional strategies while teachers prefer both types of strategies equally. The findings revealed that there is a significant difference between these two motivational strategies as perceived by teachers and students.  Article visualizations